Karius has yet to convince anyone that he can provide the platform for a title push this season under Jurgen Klopp.
Bournemouth’s goalscoring centre-back Steve Cook has admitted on talkSPORT that Eddie Howe’s side had targeted Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius ahead of their stunning comeback win on Sunday.
The Cherries moved into the top half of the Premier League after they secured one of the most famous results in the club’s history, coming from 2-0 and 3-1 down to score three times in the final 14 minutes to send the Vitality Stadium into raptures.
While Bournemouth have been lauded by all corners of the media, the visitor’s goalkeeper has also come under severe scrutiny after he fumbled Cook’s speculative last-minute shot directly at the feet of matchwinner Nathan Ake.
And Cook, who also netted the equaliser with a well-taken swivel and shot, admits that his side had targeted Karius before the game after the former Mainz keeper had made a decidedly nervy start to his career in English football.
“We did [target him], we thought that he was under a lot of pressure,” the technically astute defender told Jim White on talkSPORT, broadcast at 10am on 5th December. “Obviously playing for Liverpool you’ve got to have a strong character.
“We did target him, we tried to pressurise him and get as many shots of possible. We did target him as a weakness in the Liverpool side.”
These claims will come as no surprise to those who have watched Karius regularly since his summer transfer from the Bundesliga.
The 23-year-old was brought in as a reliable upgrade for the error-prone Simon Mignolet but, after just a few weeks between the sticks, many fans have called for the previously derided Belgian to be given another chance.
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